Silver Lining
by WhiteNinja'27
Summary: AU. Annabeth and Percy have never met. They are in their twenties, graduated from college. Each have their own string of struggles that follow them in their lives. Annabeth has Luke and Percy has Calypso. When they meet each other, will they be able to push past through the hard times? Or will they only weigh them down? Will they take a chance on each other? M for lemons.


**WARNING: If you have a trigger of any kind, continue reading this warning, if not, don't because this warning contains SPOILERS. People who have triggers, I have triggers too. I know what that's like. Anyway, for those of you who are triggered to rape scenes due to respective situations, be forewarned, there is that kind of scene in this chapter. And maybe in a later chapter too. I still would like you to read my story, so I have set up warnings so you will know when the scene will take place and when it ends. I hope this helps.**

 **A/N: Originally I was going to post this in my story "Love Or Lust" but I really fell in love with the plot that I was creating that I had to make it a totally separate story. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

Chapter 1: Luke

POV: Annabeth

I could feel the rush of my blood flooding to my cheeks as the skin around his eyes crinkled and his mesmerizing sharp blue irises lit up like a cool blue flame. Always from afar I observed him. That's what I felt. I always felt so far away from him. He seemed so untouchable. Unreachable. It wasn't the untouchable kind that was so vulnerable that its very essence would break. No, not quite. It seemed more like the reverse. I felt as though if I were to touch him, I would be the one to shatter into a million pieces. Unrecognizable.

"Are you okay, Annabeth?" His eyebrows furrowed in cute worry. Cute worry? Is that even a grammatically correct phrase? Rather an even socially-acceptable phrase? Gods Annabeth. Get your shit together.

A broom is brushing up the pieces into a bin. Inconceivable pieces. Pieces so shattered, it had turned into dust. Talk about unrecognizable.

I gave him a million dollar smile and replied, "Great."

My heart skipped a beat when the features on his face turned soft. I felt my chest pounding because I knew that I was the only one who could do that to him. His eyes crinkled, his lips in a supple smile, and his scar... His scar I wanted to caress. No one knew him like I did. I knew his struggles and that scar represented the part of him that is only vulnerable to me. That scar made it feel like he was mine Or at least, that part of him was mine.

"Do you think this is okay?"

He held up a diamond ring; elegant, untouchable, just like him. And once again I am shattered.

"Alice'll love it," I managed to say, my eyes burning from the glow of the ring and his smile. I felt inferior to that small matter that he held up in blank space. His confession of love to someone that wasn't me. So this is what it's like to die without actually dying.

"Perfect." He smiled his perfect smile once again and my head spun and my heart wrenched.

"Annabeth. Are you okay?"

I looked up, my eyes glazed with tears. There he was. Luke Castellan with his notoriously handsome blue eyes. The summer camp hottie. My cheeks blushed as he held my hand and helped me up from the ground.

"Playing with the bigger kids can be such a drag sometimes, huh? Let me get you patched up."

My face heated up. I was not about to let him treat me like a child. I pulled away from his hand and crossed my arms.

"I'm fine. I can keep up with anyone I want!"

No shit, I was scared that he was actually going to get mad at me. The older kids usually stepped on the young ones. He was 11 and I was 7. But instead he laughed. And that was the first time I felt the butterflies. I know, crazy. A second grader "falling" for an sixth grader. Unthinkable. But when I actually thought about it. We were always an unthinkable pair.

He leaned down and put his hand on his knees so his head was on my level. The light danced in his eyes and I felt the butterflies in my stomach melt into heart-shaped sundrops.

"Of course you can. In fact, I don't think anyone can keep up with you." He tucked a strand of hair in the back of my ear and gave me a grin. "But I'm still going to get you patched up. Can't let you go take on the world with that scraped elbow. We gotta fix you up first."

He held out his hand and I took it. This time I didn't let go.

"Hello?"

"Hey Annabeth." The words were slurred. I couldn't make out who was saying them for a second.

"Luke?" My hand clutched my phone. He's drunk. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Anna-beth," he hiccuped and burped out a laugh. "You wanna join me at my place?"

"Luke." I kept my voice indifferent, careful not to have him notice my concern. "What happened?"

He spat out a laugh.

"I literally just drank one bottle of beer, Annabeth."

"I know, I wa-"

"Don't fuck with me. I know you're judging me. But I literally just had-"

"No, no, no Luke, I know. I just want to know what happened before you got home. Okay? That's all."

Silence.

"Well I bought the beer."

 _No shit._

"Okay," I said gently. "Before that?"

For a minute I didn't hear his voice. I heard his shuffling. And I knew exactly what he was doing. His hands rubbed against his legs anxiously. His right foot tapping quietly against the carpet inhis living room. His eyes blinking rapidly while his beer-tainted breath struggled to stay even.

He croaked out a single word. A name.

"Alice."

I froze. My whole body froze but my heart was beating wildly in my chest. Man, I'm so messed up to feel this way. _Is there a chance after all?_

I shook my head. _What the fuck Annabeth, you shouldn't even be thinking about that right now!_

"Luke, I whispered softly. "Did she-"

"I'm returning the ring to Tiffany's tomorrow." His deadpanned voice choked with alcohol broke my heart. I'm going to kill that bitch. As much as I wanted him for myself. I wanted his happiness more than anything else.

"I'm sorry, Luke. I know how much you loved her."

I felt like ice; breaking and crunching as I heard him cry over the phone. The connection crackled momentarily, but his sadness still traveled through the sound waves and into me.

Luke was an alcoholic. He had his first drink his sophomore year of high school. He told me he hated the taste but for some reason, he kept drinking. I could not understand this logic while I was still in elementary school. I thought that people drank beverages because it tasted good, the same way I always like to drink Mello-Yello when we go to Noodles & Company.

His dad left when he was 6 and his mom was a druggie. High on life almost every single day. Never held down a job longer than 2 weeks. He got used to the fact that his mom was "biological baggage". His dad left, but he did give Luke a payday every Friday of every week for being the son of an executive CEO of the United States' Postal Service. I met Mr. Castellan a few times and he was always a gentleman. But Luke does not try hard to hide his disdain for him.

Luke started getting wasted every weekend his senior year of high school when his mom almost OD'd at some guy's house in the beginning of the year. She was in a coma for about a week and when she got better, she got locked up for the powder she'd been sniffing. It also turns out Mama Castellan was a dealer. A dealer to the kids at Luke's high school. It was all kinds of fucked up.

But I never looked at Luke differently.

I was always there for him. Right after that chance encounter I had with him at my first summer camp, I knew that we would always have each other.

It started getting out of hand having to get wasted every weekend and having to deal with the hangover at every beginning of the week. I hadn't known about it until he called me in the middle of the night to ask for a ride.

"My parents are going to kill me." My fingers nervously drummed the wheel as I spoke to an almost unconscious Luke in the passenger seat.

"It's all my fault," he said, grimacing as he closed his eyes. "Always my fault.." he whispered.

"No, Luke, it's okay-"

He grabbed a tuft of his own hair and started pulling on it.

Careful not to let my eyes off the road, I tried pulling his hands away from his head before he did anything else.

"Luke, we're almost there. Just hold on."

He suddenly tossed his head back, his eyes bulging. I will never get that memory out of my head. The time that Luke started seizing and foaming in the mouth.

It was definitely a hard thing to explain to my parents later, but at that point, that was no longer one of my worries. I called 911 and they took care of him.

Luke was treated in an inpatient facility when he recovered for his alcohol addiction. I kept tabs on him. Rather, we kept tabs on each other. He never let me treat him like a patient. I let him have that dignity for himself. When I visited him the first couple of times, he kept telling me that there was nothing wrong with him. He pleaded me to get the nurses to discharge him and let him get back to school. But I couldn't do that. Because I knew that he was troubled. Though, I loved him despite the trouble. Yes. I do love him. This became clear when his thoughts of himself finally cleared.

"I have a problem," he admitted to me, his eyes careful to detect a change in me. What did he expect of me? To run away?

I smiled lovingly at him.

"That's the first step to recovery."

He laughed. "Never thought I'd hear that coming out from your mouth instead of Dr. Phil's."

Sincerely, I took his hands in mine and looked him in the eyes the same way he did to me when we shared our first memory together.

"We gotta fix you up first before you take on the world again. I'll be here every step of the way. Always."

He gave me a tired smile and sighed.

"I need constant fixing, Annabeth."

I kissed him on his forehead.

"Like I said. Always. I am here. I'll always be here."

I kept promise. I was there in his every step. Sometimes at the cost of myself, with school, and just at the expense of seeing him so rundown and at his most vulnerable state.

I saw him angry, depressed, happy, confused, terrified. I saw every part of him. Nothing was hidden away. And I loved him more, knowing every part of his being.

When Alice came along after he graduated college and found work at a financial firm, needless to say, I was heartbroken. I felt him slipping away from my grasp. But he was never mine. I never got ahold of him. He was always on his own, conquering the world in his own terms. I wanted to yell at him, but it felt like he was so far away from me, it would be vain to even call for him. I always felt like I had to run after him. But he was already miles ahead.

Luke, why not me? Why her? Why did you pick her? I knew you the best. I loved you the most. Could you not see that? Of all the people. I thought you saw me.

I didn't knock on the door because I knew that would just make things worse.

"Luke? I'm outside."

I felt a cold shiver travel up my spine. I was soaking wet from running through the rain, wearing only a shirt (now basically see-through) and jeans. Luke lived in an apartment with Alice, so I was a bit skeptical about coming inside and consoling him.

The door opened and even in his drunken glory, Luke Castellan was a beauty to behold. His hair was swept to one side and his forehead was beaded with sweat. I gave him a hug. Alcohol. The alcohol was so strong. It took everything I had in me not to cough.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," I said, realizing that I was soaking him with my shirt.

"'S'okay," he muttered. "Come in."

The TV was turned on in low volume. No sign of Alice. Whew. I suspect she must be staying at a friend's house. There were at least 4 beer bottles out in the open. Luke caught me staring at the empty bottles on the coffee table.

"Had a few more while you were on your way," he said dismissively. I took a peak into his kitchen and saw a few more freshly emptied bottles lying around. But I was careful that he did not see me look.

He plopped down on the couch and whisked up a new bottle of beer. He held up another for me but I declined him gently. Luke just gave me a mischievous lopsided grin and took a swig of his own bottle. I sat a good distance away from him, not wanting to startle him in anyway in case I do or say something he may not like.

One more bottle. That's all I'll let him have.

I glanced at him. His eyes were droopy but they were still his eyes. Bold and beautiful. I bit my lip, noticing that he had worn a tux during his attempt to make Alice his wife. Would he have done the same it was me? _Annabeth. Don't be selfish right now. You've got a broken man right in front of you._

He caught my eye. I blushed. He hesitated for a moment,

"Can you stay the night?"

 _Yes._

"If you need me here."

He gripped his bottle firmly and looked me straight in the eyes. "I need you here, Annabeth. More than ever."

His voice was still slurred, but his words still reached deep into me.

"Can I change into your clothes, then? I'm kind of soaked."

His smile is so beautiful.

I rummaged through his drawers looking for a good pair of shorts and a comfy shirt. In my search, I found something very peculiar: Alice's things were nowhere to be found. It didn't make any sense. Unless she already moved out before he proposed? I could not find a decent answer to this situation. It was all very weird. _I'll be sure to ask Luke in the morning when he's himself._

Meanwhile, I stripped down and changed into his clothes. I took in a deep breath, breathing in his scent, his musk. I picked up the clothes I peeled off and tossed them into his closet. It wasn't the first time I was sleeping over.

The door behind me suddenly creaked open. I jumped.

"Sorry, did I scare you?"

He was still in his tux and he still smelled like beer... and nicotine? Just now, I noticed the ash tray sitting on his bedside table next to the queen bed.

"Yeah, a little bit," I admitted, laughing to myself.

With him in the room, his bedroom felt smaller. He was a tower. 6'1. I'm a house. 5'5. I could feel myself getting red. This was the first time I've ever been in his room alone with him. Usually there'd be a party or a small get-together with friends. Or Alice would be here.

He moved in closer to me. My heart fluttered up to my chest.

He grabbed ahold of my hips and pulled me close to him.

"Are you okay?" he murmured. The strong scent of his beer breath traveled into my nose.

 _I bou_ "Yeah," I replied, breathlessly.

"Good."

I felt myself melt into him as he kissed me on the lips. It was everything I imagined it would be. Kissing Luke Castellan. Gentle, sexy, supple..

He tipped forward, pushing me back. We caught ourselves before we fell. We laughed at his clumsiness. He was drunk. I wasn't. It should have felt wrong, but it wasn't.

My hands went up to his face, tracing the scar that ran down from the top of his eyebrow, down to his chin. I bit his bottom lip. A moan escaped from his lips. He slips his tongue into my lips and I welcome it warmly. Our tongues swirled around together, testing, dancing. He let his hands slip down lower, onto my ass. I held my tongue from squealing as he squeezed them firmly. He groaned into my lips. I grabbed a tuft of his hair and pulled him even closer to me. Eagerly, he pushed his hips into mine and I felt a bulge poked me in between my legs.

 *****TRIGGER WARNING*****

Immediately, I pulled away. I just stared at him. Luke Castellan. He was waiting for me. Was he actually here? In front of me? Waiting for me to be his?

I so wanted to be his. But not this way. Not while he's on the drug that caused the both of us so much heartache. I regained my senses and pulled away from him slowly.

"Luke. I really like you. But we can't do this right now. Let's go to sleep, okay?"

I push past him and head for the door. I felt his hand grab mine gently. He pulls me back close to him. His hands on my cheeks, his eyes glazed, but sincere, "Annabeth, please I'm lonely. Make me feel like I'm not alone."

"Luke. You're drunk. I'll be in the living room whenever you need me, okay? Wash up and go to sleep."

I turn around again. But this time, he won't let me.

I don't know if I screamed. It all felt so unreal. Like a dream on mute. But was it a dream? Or a nightmare?

She never left the room.

He was drunk. But he was bigger than her. And the alcohol did not deter him. He didn't need to close the door, because he knew no one would come running. he knew no one would hear. No one would hear her screams.

He pinned her onto his bed, where he also pinned down Alice. _Fuck Alice. Fuck Alice for leaving. Fuck Alice_. He tried to get her back. But she wouldn't let him even try. For months he tried getting her back after she upped and left him. He only got drunk every once in a while. Alice was a cunt. She couldn't even handle him when he was mad. How was she supposed to get into any relationship, if she can't even handle an angry man?

 _I tried my best_ , he thought to himself, as he pulled off his shirt from the girl's torso. _I bought her a ring. Ready to marry her. But she wouldn't accept me._

 _Only Annabeth. Only Annabeth accepts me._

Before he continued his prowl, he took a swig of the half-empty vodka bottle on his bedside.

The girl was frozen. She couldn't move. Did he hurt her? Not yet. Did he hurt her? He already did.

One hand on the bottle, he used his other hand to undo his pants. He fumbled, his head was pounding from the alcohol. He downed the rest of the vodka and tossed aside the bottle. He moaned in relief as he finally bulge finally came out. He was hard. So damn hard. He wouldn't have had to pin the girl down if she just relented. She was such a tease. Making out with him and not going all the way.

He stuck his tongue out in concentration as he pulled down his boxers and stroked his cock.

"Alrighty. Let's see what you've got in store for me."

He pulled down his shorts from the girls hips. She lay vulnerable in front of him. Naked and nude. Her eyes glassy, with a faraway look in them. He towered over her precious essence and stuck a finger into her. She was wet.

"I knew you wanted me," he whispered his slurred words into her ear, as he slowly stuck his hard rough cock tip into her. She arched her back from the pain. She was a virgin. But he did not know this. Ecstatic by her reaction, he pushed his weight all the way in. In. In. In. An audible tear came from her underneath. He didn't hear it. But it was the only thing she heard. The sound of that ripping and her own scream.

She screamed. Multiple times.

"Oh baby, yes, I scream for me, oh yessss.." He thrusted his unwanted cock into her. In. Out. In. Out.

"This is what you wanted, right?" _Thrust._

""You wanted me?" _Thrust._

"Now you got it." _Thrust._

 _"I'm gonna fuck you all night baby." Thrust._

"You're gonna fuckin' love it." _Thrust._

She stared at the door. It was right there. She could have left. She could have ran. Why didn't she run? Did she want him to rip away her virginity after all? He was the one she wanted to save herself for. But no. Not like this.

"Baby, why are you making that face?" He asked, still drunkenly thrusting his hips into her relentlessly. He peppered her face with his lovely kisses. Because he knew how much she loved his kisses. Gentle, sexy, supple.

"Are you okay?" _In, out, in, out, in._

She never thought how much she would grow to hate hearing those words.

"Oh my god, fuck, I'm gonna cum!"

Already too tired, too wasted, too reckless, he laid on top of her. As his body shivered and he released his own essence into her own essence. Without her permission.

He rolled over next to her. His polo and jacket still on. He loosened his tie and stripped off of his garments. He laid the blanket over the both of them and kissed her on the forehead.

"I had a great time, baby. Thank you." He rested his head on her shoulder. He locked his arms around her, her hand on her inner thigh and the other on her hip.

She was still looking at the door. Her escape.

 *****END OF TRIGGER WARNING*****

She managed to croak out, "Fuck you."

But he was already asleep.

 **A/N: Tune in next week for the next installment Chapter 2: Calypso. I think you can guess what's that about!**


End file.
